[Guide] Solving The Rubik's Cube

Cube

Canada777 Posts

June 15 2009 05:28 GMT

This is a guide about solving the Rubik's Cube.

The guide includes two sections, one for people who have had a cube forever and just want to solve the thing, and another about speedsolving the cube. (in reality there are many more sections than that, the point is that there is something here for you even if you already know how to solve the cube).

So who am I and why should you read my guide to the cube?
+ Show Spoiler [A history of the cube and I] +

I first learned to solve the cube just over two years ago because a few of my friends at school were getting into it and it looked fun.

two weeks later i learned about speedsolving and the more advanced methods.

this is where things got unhealthy, i learned how to solve the cube using the petrus method and soon i was spending literally four hours a day cubing (a verb for solving the cube over and over and over...). around one month and a few terrible course marks later i was the best in my area with an average time of just under a minute per solve. then the school year ended and with no job and no life to speak of (even pre-starcraft) i began to practice the cube SIX hours a day

.

i learned COLL (a relatively large set of algorithims that would be considered the 'highest level' of the method i use) and dropped my time to under 30s, and eventually under 20s on average. i was well on my way to being one of the fastest 'cubers' in the world when three things happened.

i got a job assembling barbecues at a hardware store.

school started again.

i discovered starcraft, which subsequently comsumed most if not all of my spare time.

that brings us to the present. my time has dropped back to around 50 seconds on average and i have all but forgotten my COLL, but to my knowledge ~~(and apparantly to the knowledge of the TL manpower thread) i am the only person who can actually solve the cube on TL~~ (awww crap apparantly geo is a top finnish speedcuber.... ah well)
anyway

1. A decent cube. (for speedsolving anyway). many of the cheap knockoff cubes you can find at secondhand stores are garbage. you'll probably be wanting one of the official ones. the easiest way to tell is that they come in a hexagonal pakage like this:

If you do not have a store that sells Rubik's cubes near you you could order one from the Official Store or from Cubeforyou which is an amazing site for things like extra sticker sets as well as a wide variety of twisty puzzles.

also if you're really hardcore you could buy a DIY cube from cubeforyou but i would NOT reccomend this for inexperienced people....its not easy to assemble properly.

2. Lubricant (speedsolving only). this is really optional but helps alot especially with a new cube. it just makes the cube easier to turn. in my opinion there is no better lubricant than the fine dust that forms as plastic is ground away when you use the cube, but sprays are definitely an option. DO NOT USE WD40, or any oil based sprays on the cube. eventually they cause it to slow down, i have no idea why but a cube that has WD40 in it becomes all gummy and amazingy hard to turn, hence useless for speedsolving. i personally use a can of silicon based automotive lubricant, some say latex based sprays also work but i haven't tried them.

+ Show Spoiler [mini guide: lubricating your cube] +

Really its not hard, you just have to get over the fear of breaking the cube.

now somehow i fail to mention this, but obviously we are only spraying the black sides of the pieces, the stickers do not need to slide well.

thats it for the physical hardware... now on to...

3. Patience. while it may be frustrating at times mastering the cube will provide hours of (very portable) entertainment for you and for any small children or first time observers you happen to be with.

4.Hands!

(preferably with fingers) ....but seriously thats all you need to start down the road to becoming a formidable cubist!

...cubist ...i swear its an actual term... this brings us smoothly to....

lol... wut?....

Algorithm: a series of moves which, when used in a specific situation, will bring the cube one step closer to being solved.

Move: moving one of the faces of the cube one quarter of a full turn.

Layers: it is beneficial to think of the cube as three layers rather than faces or sides (never ever think of the cube as stickers). as in, a top, middle, and bottom layer. (first, second, and last respectively).

F2L: The first two layers

LL: The last Layer

Center: one of the six immobile 'squares' in the center of each face. they are a part of the core of the cube.

Core: the piece that holds the whole thing together. the core will be talked about in more detail later.
+ Show Spoiler [Picture of the core] +

Edge: one of the twelve pieces between the corners with only two different coloured sides.
+ Show Spoiler [Picture of the edges] +

Corner: one of the eight pieces situated at the corners of the cube with three different coloured sides.
+ Show Spoiler [Picture of the corners] +

To help you better understand how the cube works i have made a video of me disassembling one.

+ Show Spoiler [Taking the cube apart] +

now on to notation...

Cube notation can be hard to get used to but is an indispensable tool for learning algorithims and ensuring your cube is properly scrambled (using a scramble generator).

I have made another short video explaining cube notation.
+ Show Spoiler [Cube Notation Video] +

So in summary

F means you rotate the side facing you (The Front) clockwise one quarter turn
B means you rotate the side facing away from you (the Back) clockwise one quarter turn
U means you rotate the top (Up) face of the cube clockwise one quarter turn
D means you rotate the bottom (Down) face clockwise one quarter turn
L means you rotate the Left face one quarter turn clockwise
R means you rotate the Right face one quarter turn clockwise
a ' symbol after any of these letters (eg: F' ) means you turn that face, but turn it counterclockwise as opposed to clockwise
a 2 after any of these letters (eg: F2 ) means you do a half turn with the face instead of a quarter turn.

so therefore, B U' L2 is telling you to turn the back face clockwise a quarter turn,then the top face counterclockwise a quarter turn, and then the left face a half turn.

also, always remember to think of the cube as pieces (edges and corners held in place by the core), and layers (top, middle, and bottom). NEVER think of the cube as stickers.

while its not absolutely necessary you memorize this now it will make understanding what is to come alot easier (read: possible)

enough already! when do i get to learn to SOLVE the cube?!

also known as the layer by layer method

First off, mess up your cube. try to get it nice and scrambled.(unless of course your cube is already hoplessly scrambled

)

Step One: The First Layer

Your first objecitve is to make 'the cross'. To begin, select a face of the cube to use as the 'top' or 'up' face. i will be using white and i suggest you do the same because it will be easier to follow. use the whie center sticker to locate the whie side (centers never move).

the cross is made by getting the four white edge pieces oriented correctly in the correct position. this is done intuitively.

for example, in the picture below, the white and orange edge (outlined in red) is in the correct position, but is oriented incorrectly.

This is no good, first lets make two moves to orient the edge correctly... F R (i bet you're happy you learned that notation about now).

That brings us to the situation in the picture below. notice that while the edge is now oriented correctly, it is out of position.

from here a move of U will return the edge to its correct position, only this time it is oriented right as well as being in the right position.

next you do this for the other three white edges. if you have trouble orienting and positioning the other edges without disturbing the one(s) already in place, dont be afraid to move the correctly positioned edges a quarter turn here and there as long as you move them back before things get screwed up.

The completed cross looks like this:

fun fact: the cross can always be completed in eight moves or less

The other part of solving the first layer is 'inserting' the corners where they belong. this should be done intuitively.

For example:

in the picture below on the left the orange/blue/white piece needs to go in the orange/blue/white corner spot on the first layer (outlined in red and currently occupied by the wrong piece -- as seen in the picture on the right)

by making the moves F D F' (with the blue side being F) we put the corner in the correct position.

If you are still having trouble, try to pay attention to how the corner reaches its destination in the above example. the same idea can be applied to any corner sllotting situation.

once you have finished placing the corners you are done the first layer! congratulations.

yay!

Step Two: The Second Layer

Completing the middle layer is as simple as inserting the four middle edge pieces in their proper spots. for this step you will have to learn two algorithms (in reality its only one algorithm and then the 'mirror' of it for the mirror case)

There are two cases for each edge (shown below). in each of these the blue/orange edge is oriented differently, and has been aligned with the blue/orange center. the red outline shows the edge, and the green outline shows where it has to go.

which case you have determines which algorithm you must perform to place each edge (note that the orange face will be F for both of the following algorithms).

For the case on the left:
do D' F' D F D L D' L' to place the edge

For the case on the right:
do D L D' L' D' F' D F to place the edge

either way the cube will end up looking like this:

Oh, and if an edge is in the right place, and oriented incorrectly like this:

simply perform either of the two algorithms listed above to get it back to the bottom layer, from where it can then be placed correctly.

Once you have done this for all four edges, you are done the middle layer. good job!

now comes the most confusing part of the solution.

almost there!
Step Three: The Last Layer

before we begin we are going to re-orient the cube so that the yellow face (formerly the D face) is facing up (it becomes the U face). this is because we have already solved the F2L (first two layers) and will need to see yellow face (but not the white) to complete the cube.

The last layer is done in four parts

Part One of Four: making the cross on the bottom (orienting the LL (last layer) edges).

there are four possible cases here

Case One: all the edges are oriented correctly (the cross is laready there), you can proceed to part two of four.

lucky you!

Case Two: Two adjacent edges are oriented correctly, the other two are not. Position the two adjacent edges as they appear in the image below.

one is on the left and one is on top of the cross

From this position the algorithm F U R U' R' F' will orient the remaining two edges,once this is done you can move on to part two of four.

Case Three: Two edges on opposite sides of the bottom face are oriented correctly, the other two are not. Position the face as it appears in the image below:

the incorrectly oriented edges are on the 'top' and 'bottom' of the cross while the correctly oriented ones are on the 'left' and 'right'

From this position the algorithm F R U R' U' F' will orient the two remaining edges. once this is done you can move on to part two of four.

Case Four: None of the edges are oriented correctly.

This case is really a combination of cases two and three. simply perform the algorithm for either of those cases an you will be presented with one of case two or three. refer to whichever case you get to orient the edges. when that is done, you can move on to part two of four.

fun fact: problems come in pairs, three and one correctly oriented edge(s) is impossible unless someone has been messing with you cube

Part Two of Four: Positioning the LL corners.

In this part we are not worrying about the orientation of the LL corners, only the position, what this means is that it might look wrong at first because the coloured stickers do not match up on all sides. do not panic. we will orient the corners at a later stage. For example, the corner outlined in green below is in the correct position despite not being oriented correctly:

note that the edges will not always be positioned correctly at this stage, so the two edges beside the corner will not always be the correct colour. for this reason it is better to look at the centers to determine whether or not your corner is placed correctly

There are only two cases for this step and an easy way to recognize them is by turning the yellow ( U ) face of the cube trying to put a corner in its proper place. once one is in the right place, the case you have will become much easier to see.

Case One: Two Adjacent corners need to be swapped.

the two corners outlined in red must be swapped

For this case, position the cube so that the two corners which need swapping are on the right ( R ) face. then perform the following algorithm: L U' R' U L' U' R U2. this will swap the two corners, allowing you to move on to part three of four.

Case Two: Two diagonal corners need to be swapped.

the two corners outlined in red need to be swapped

For this case, simply perform the algorithm used for the first case on any two corners. then examine the cube. there should now be a case one for you to solve. when you have done this you can move on to part three of four.

Part Three of Four: Now that we have the edges oriented right and the corners placed right, its time to orient the corners.

This can be done with one simple algorithm: R U R' U R U2 R'
The algorithm changes the orientation of three corners, leaving one unchanged. (it also moves edges, which is okay right now).

before we can use this algorithm effectively we need to understand that it has a ' target'. (this is because while there are seven cases, through understanding of the target concept we can get away with learning only three. (understanding this will also help immensely if you plan to learn the Petrus (advanced) method later in the guide as it is used there as well).

The target of this algorithm is the sticker on the left side of the corner opposite from the side the first turn of the algorithm is made on ( the R side) (you might want to read that again and try to locate it on the cube). For example, in the image below, the target is highlighted in green, and the left, top, and front sides are labelled with L U F.

So on the cube below, if you wanted to target the sticker outlined in green, what would you label the red and green sides as?

+ Show Spoiler [Answer] +

Once you understand that the rest of this is easy.

If you have zero correct corners, target a yellow sticker. this will leave you with one correct corner.

If you have two correct corners, target any non-yellow sticker, this will leave you with one correct corner.

If you have one correct corner, hold the cube so that the correct corner is facing you (at an angle, like in most of these pictures), then target this sticker:

now one of two things will happen. either the corners are all oriented correctly (if this is the case, move on to part four), or only one of them is oriented correctly. if this just happens simply do what you did above once more to finish orienting the corners. Once this is finished you may move on to part four.

youre so very close....
Part Four of Four: Positioning the LL edges.

This step uses one algorithm and is mostly intuitive (because of a very nifty algorithm). thankfully the algorithm is much simpler to ' target' than the last one and you only need to use it a maximum of two times to finish the cube.

The algorithm is as follows: L2 U or U' (see below) F' B L2 F B' U or U' (see below) L2

Explanation: for the second move you turn the top face a quarter turn in whichever direction you want the edge on the left to go. for example if the Blue/Yellow edge is on the red side, you would make the red side L and then do U' as the second move when doing the algorithm to have it end up on the blue side (its correct position). If the blue/yellow edge was on the orange side, you would make the orange side L and then do U as the second move. notice how when you make the turn you are turning the edge towards its correct position. The second last move you make will be the same as the second one. (U if you did U and U' if you did U' ).

to clarify, if the second move is U and the second last move is U, the algorithm does this to the edges:

and if the second move is U' and the last move is U', it does this:

Now on how to use this wonderful algorithm.

If all four edges are in the wrong position do the algorithm with any side as L to get a situation where only three are wrong.

One or two misplaced edges is impossible and zero is the solved position soo...

If three edges are out of position, make the side that has a correctly positioned edge R when doing the algorithm. you will then have incorrect edges on the other three sides, with the one on L being in the 'middle'. Use the algorithm again, making sure that your second move brings the edge on L towards where you want it to go. once you have done this, the cube is solved (unless of course someone has been messing with your stickers or assembled the cube incorrectly! >

)

Congratulations! you have just solved the rubik's cube!

but it doesnt end there...

for people who want to get fast

The idea behind the petrus method is that when you solve the cube with a layer by layer method, you have to break the first layer, do something, then put it back together again. with this method you make a 3x2x2 block of solved cube, then finish the first two layers by twisting only two sides. when the first two layers are finished there will always be a cross on the bottom, and from here you solve the last layer in the same way as the beginner's method with a few added algorithms for greater efficency (unless you want to learn COLL, a set of 40 algorithms).

this method will allow you to achieve faster times than the layer by layer method (fewer moves) and is much easier to learn than the freidrich method (57 algorithms).

There are seven steps to this method:

Step One: 2x2x2 block.

this step is pretty self explanatory (and should be done intuitively), you need to correctly position/orient one corner and the three edges that go next to it. choose a corner piece with a white sticker on it the first few times you solve, it will make the guide easier to follow. how i usually do this step is find my corner, then 'join' it with the non-white stickered edge before putting it where it needs to go. then i put the white edges next to the corner and move on to....

Step Two: 2x2x3 block

in this step you expand the 2x2x2 block by positioning two more edges around a second corner. this step shoud also be done intuitively. building the block is the most important part of this method to practice in my opinion. this is because there are so many ways to form the block, where the rest of the solve is pretty linear. as you get faster, try to learn to make blocks with all the colours instead of just white/whatever/whatever. you will develop your own ways to spot patterns and make the block faster and faster as you solve the cube more and more. once the block has been made, move on to...

Step Three: orient the seven remaining edges

count 'em
also dont worry if this makes no sense right now

this is by far the most difficult concept you will have to understand to solve the cube using this method. this step allows you to finish the first two layers by turining only the two faces that are not part of the block, and sets you up with a cross on the last layer when you are done. first off, you have to learn the difference between a 'right' edge and a 'wrong' edge. the first thing to know is that wrong edges come in pairs (you can have none, two, four, or six).(also note that we will be holding the cube by the 'block' we made earlier, and only turning the two sides with pieces in the wrong spot in fact, we will not be interfering with the block at all for this step).

important, do not break the block!

there are four rules to follow when looking for wrong edges. for these rules we will be labelling the two sides (not part of the block) X and Y, which is which really does not matter.

1. an edge on the X face that has an X colour sticker next to the center is right

2. an edge on the X face that has an X colour sticker away from the center is wrong

3.an edge on the Y face that has an X colour sticker next to the center is wrong

oops! the x and y sides are technically the other way around, but the diagram still applies

4. an edge on the Y face that has an X colour sticker away from the center is right

if you are having trouble identifying which edges need to be flipped with the above rules, turn each edge so that it is between the X and Y centers (yellow and blue below).
if there is a yellow sticker beside the blue center or vice versa, that edge is wrong.

examples of wrong edges using this method

these 'wrong edges' need to be flipped (oriented correctly) before we can solve the rest of the cube. how do we do this? with one simple move sequence.

this mini-algorithm fixes two edges at once, and the edges need to be in one of two positions (really the same position but a mirror image). the positions are highlighted below:

so really you need one misplaced sticker on top of the F face and one on the right or left of the F face, your U face needs to be the other side not part of the block.(you can make the other face your F face if you want, to solve other pairs faster).

if the wrong edge is on the left of the F face, do the mini-algorithm L' U L, if it is on the right, the moves are R U' R'. both of these move sequences 'swap' the two edges involved, orienting them correctly in the process.

in blatant disregard of the turn only two sides rule!

"but my edges arent beside each other like in the pictures!"
Never fear netizen!, simply rotate the two faces we have been using for this step until they are, it will always work.

when you have oriented all the remaining edges correctly, move on to the next step...

Step Four: Finishing the first two layers (F2L)

in this step, like the last, it is very important to turn only the two unsolved sides, reccomend you keep a firm grip around the 2x2x3 block to avoid 'breaking' it

Our first goal for this step is to allign one of the remaining F2L corners with its two edges, then put them in place. remember that you may turn only the two unsolved sides. (the corner/edges are in green).

do this in the same way you did the first and second steps, intuitively! (although you will need to manouver a bit more with only two sides to turn).

the next part is a bit more difficult, but can be done incredibly fast once you get the hang of it.

now it is more important than ever to keep a firm grip on that original 2x2x3 block, if you turn it at all, wrong edges will reappar and you will have to go back a step.

we have to align the remaining F2L edge and the last F2L corner on the bottom layer, then 'slot' them into their proper spot. however we can only move the side with the 2x2x1 (corner / 2 edges) block we made earlier in this step one quarter turn at a time. there is no real shortcut or nifty trick here, just keep wiggling that side one quarter turn and turning the other (bottom) side until you have the two pieces joined and then slot them in the right position.

once this is done we can move on to the last layer

Step Five: position the LL corners (i'll bet this looks farmilliar....)

because it is...

this is exactly the same as part two of four of the last layer in the layer by layer method!
simply swap the corners using that handy L U' R' U L' U' R U2 algorithm we learned and then you're ready to move on to...

Step Six Orient the LL corners (not again!)

while this step can be done in the same way as part three of four of the last layer in the layer by layer method, we're going to learn the reverse of R U R' U R U2 R' (remember how to target?), this will allow us to solve the layer in two applications of the algorithm maximum instead of three.

The reverse is L' U' L U' L' U2 L. it is targeted in the same way as the normal algorithm except the target sticker is on the right instead of the left. the 'what to target' instructions still apply.
+ Show Spoiler [how to target the mirror] +

if we want to target the highlighted sticker (which will orient all the edges correctly ala the targeting rules from the beginner guide) we must perform the mirror with our faces like they are labelled above.

when you have oriented the corners you may move on the the last step...

Step Seven: positioning the LL edges (once again the same, but with a twist)

this step can be done in the same way as the last step of the layer by layer method, but we're going to make things a bit more complicated by adding two new algorithms to the mix. these will allow us to always complete this step in one algorithm maximum, instead of two.

The first of these two new algorithms will be used to solve the case where all the edges need to be swapped with the edge opposite them.

it does this

it doesnt matter which way you hold the cube as long as the unsolved (bottom - yellow in this case) face is the U side.

the algorithm is F2 L2 R2 B2 D B2 R2 L2 F2.

dont worry if it feels akward at first, you'll get faster with practice.

The second new algorithm is for when the four edges need too be swapped with the edge adjacent to them.

it does this

to perform this algorithm, make sure that the last layer is the U side as normal, and that two of the edges you need swapped are on the F and R sides (the other two to be swapped on the B and L sides respectively).

the algorithm is L2 R2 D F2 L2 R2 B2 L2 R2 D' L2 R2.
this one is very akward but learning to do it quickly will do you a world of good.

if three edges need to be swapped just do what you learned to do in the layer by layer method.

well thats alll you need to know to solve the cube using the petrus method. with this you should be able to achieve times of under 30 seconds if you practice alot

.

but what if i want to be even faster?

well then the next step is to learn COLL, which is a set of 40 algorithms which combine steps five and six. i wont list them all here, but This Page is where i learned it from (and it has a handy printable version too!).

you might also check out the section on..

a few things to make you fast

The most important thing no matter which method you choose to use is to practice all the time. five spare minutes waiting for the bus? you could solve the cube at least seven times while you wait. finish dinner at a fancy restaurant but need to wait for the rest of your party?, pull out that cube!. picking up women and need to look smart? ... okay maybe not, but you get the idea. the cube is very portable and taking advantage of that can make you a much better cubist.

Maintain your cube. stretch the springs and lubricate it often (see lubricating your cube and taking the cube apart videos). even if it has little to no effect it will make you think your cube is faster, bestowing you with additional confidence.

learn the colour scheme of the cube. the standard one is blue opposite green. red opposite orange, and white opposite yellow, with red being to the right of blue. this will help particularily if you are using the perus method as it gives you more options when making the 2x2x2 and 2x2x3 block.

commit algorithms to muscle memory. while notation is useful for beginners and for learning new algorithms, you dont want to be repeating the notation in your head while solving the cube. do the algorithm to a solved cube over and over and over and over until you can do it without thinking. then learn to spot when to apply it as quickly as possible. the next step is to learn to do the algorithms more efficently. once you know which sides to turn in which order inside and out, you can rotate the cube to make it easier to perform, and you will develop your own finger tricks.

finger tricks. these are just something you develop as you practice with a mind to improve your speed. they are ways you have to execute specific move sequences more quickly. things like combining two face turns into one smooth motion (much easier with a well lubricated cube) are finger tricks.

always always give yourself 15 seconds before any timed solve to inspect the cube. during this time you should be planning as many moves as you can in advance. (for example the formation of the 2x2x2 block). why 15 seconds? i honestly have no idea but that is what you get at competetions.

a good way to gauge your improvement is to do 'time trials'. that is, solving the cube a decent number of times (with a 15s inspection time), then removing the best time, and the worst time, and then averaging the reamining ones.

make sure your cube is well scrambled, most online timers will have a random scramble generator (you scramble the cube by following the notation it spits out). a good scramble is at least 25 moves with no moves that cancel each other out (eg: U2 U2, or L L' ).

a good online timer that gives you the option to save your times can be found here

something else to note is that the petrus method is not the only more advanced method out there, just my personal favourite. other excellent speedsolving methods in clude the fredrich method (the layer by layer method, but you do the middle edges with the corners, then a two step last layer with 57 algs) and the roux method (often used for fewest moves competitions, this involves making two 1x2x3 blocks and solving the cube from there).

if you have any questions feel free to pm me or post in the thread

i would also be very grateful to anyone who points out a spelling mistake or a misplaced image (oh god i hope not!)

what about the 4x4x4, 5x5x5, and larger cubes? well these cubes are solved by getting them to the point where they can be solved like a 3x3x3, and then solving them like a 3x3x3, you only need one additional algorithm for each of the larger cubes, and they are clunky to solve. i prefer the 3x3x3 for this reason.

thanks to all of TL.irc for helping me with my spelling requests (stupid notepad), thanks to photobucket (because this WILL BE READ by them) for hosting all the images, a big anti thanks to shackpics for failing hard after i uploaded half the images, forcing me to reupload them, shoutout to clan 404 for being supportive (mainly nintu), and also thanks to LTT for his guide guide, giving me a few valuable tags.

most importantly, thanks to Teamliquid for being such an awesome site.

all the images, videos, and text in this guide with the exception of the cube in hex packaging, was/were shot, recorded, and written by me

Pufftrees

2449 Posts

June 15 2009 05:38 GMT

Totally going to solve mine now!

Yaqoob

Canada3317 Posts

June 15 2009 05:39 GMT

I had a friend that would solve these 4x4 cubes then he moves on to 5x5 and finally bought a massive 6x6 and solved it. I was in awe of his abilities and he did it without reading the solutions on the internet.

ShinyGerbil

Canada519 Posts

June 15 2009 05:40 GMT

good guide for beginners!
I think easier PLL edge swap algorithms are:
[R2 U] [R U R'] [U' R' U' R'] [U R'] and
[R U' R] [U R U R] [U' R' U' R2] (the brackets are for seperating the algorithm into finger tricks)

I too was a speedcuber, official average of 26s with official best time of 20s (unofficial 22s average, 16s single), so you're not alone =)

Cube

Canada777 Posts

June 15 2009 05:41 GMT

yeah i realized i wasnt alone after

also i chose the algorithms i did for the beginner method because they are also used for the petrus method, which i also teach in the guide. i like the L2 U or U' F' B L2 F B' U' or U L2 alg, maybe its just personal preference but i think its more intuitive to use.

Exteray

United States1094 Posts

June 15 2009 05:44 GMT

haha nice guide! i can average about 61 sec with a revised layer-by-layer with a working corner method

Kong John

Denmark1020 Posts

June 15 2009 05:51 GMT

Haha what a great guide, i never was able to solve those damn cubes!

fanatacist

10319 Posts

June 15 2009 05:52 GMT

Great guide to something that many people can't do, I love the picture usage and explanations. Props!

JeeJee

Canada5652 Posts

June 15 2009 05:55 GMT

good guide
i'd disagree with the whole lbl > petrus > coll progression though
i mean, that's one way but you kinda made it sound like the only way. should mention alternatives (like just practicing basic fridrich)

hmm i was looking for my cube to solve it again but i can't find it anywhere
blah, only have a 4x4 lying around. i was decently fast at one point, have a sub 25 solve on youtube somewhere

Cube

Canada777 Posts

June 15 2009 06:06 GMT

#10

i only made a guide for petrus because my experience with freidrich and roux is very limited, ill edit and mention them in speedcubing tips

Last Romantic

United States20661 Posts

June 15 2009 06:12 GMT

#11

Yay speedcubers

I <3 Toby. He taught me.... oh... six years ago? :x whoa.

paper

13196 Posts

June 15 2009 06:16 GMT

#12

tl;dr:

hehehehe

(from berkeley's rubiks cube decal)

Cube

Canada777 Posts

June 15 2009 06:19 GMT

#13

but it doesnt show you all the algorithms!
(it also has a lower word count, hahahahah)

update: fixed some wrong images in the petrus method section

also fixed the video on cube notation, anyone who wants to see the one with the mistake....
+ Show Spoiler +

thanks to lemonwalrus for pointing this out

Zapdos_Smithh

Canada2620 Posts

June 15 2009 06:44 GMT

#14

Wow best REAL guide I have read. This better get a beta key.

jodogohoo

Canada2533 Posts

June 15 2009 06:59 GMT

#15

sorry but, real men just tear the god damn cube part and rearrange it.

Cube

Canada777 Posts

June 15 2009 07:00 GMT

#16

luckily for all the real men there is a video on that

Manifesto7

Osaka27115 Posts

June 15 2009 07:04 GMT

#17

Very nice guide. Two things that are important to be able to pick up nonchalantly at a house party and do well are play the guitar and solve a rubiks cube.

Assault_1

Canada1950 Posts

June 15 2009 07:09 GMT

#18

I got a DIY from cube4you, but it doesn't turn as well as I expected.. so I made the screws very loose and it turns well, but it pops often. Anyway, do you think I should compress the springs? like screw in all the screws as far as possible and leave it overnight? or maybe put washers in it? I can tell it should be turning a lot better. Try to leave lubricant out of your answer, I've tried siliconing it

by the way, you might want to get tiles from cubesmith, yours are really worn out. tiles are made of bulletproof plastic.. pretty much last forever

Cube

Canada777 Posts

June 15 2009 07:13 GMT

#19

i still have trouble with my DIY :<

what you should do is tighten the springs so the sides are hard to turn, then solve the cube a ton of times, after this you should loosen the screws again. stretching the springs also helps. the most important part i think is to get the cube sliding smoothly by grinding down the sides. after that just tinker with the screws until you get a configuration you like

ShinyGerbil

Canada519 Posts

June 15 2009 07:16 GMT

#20

Cube is right. in terms of tightness for DIYs, a popular amateur mistake is to make them too loose. I personally have one from cube4you which works great, It was pretty tight/non-turny for the first month-ish, but then i used Jig-A-Loo some kind of lube and it got really smooth and fast.

1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 Next All

Please or register to reply.

[Guide] Solving The Rubik's Cube

Completed

Ongoing

Upcoming